[New developments in the treatment of diabetic foot ulcers]

Diabetic foot ulcers are frequent: 12,000 Dutch diabetes patients have such an ulcer. The ulcers have a multifactorial aetiology: polyneuropathy, biomechanical stress, infection, deficient footwear and to a less extent ischaemia are the major factors. The principles of ulcer treatment are relief of pressure, restoration of skin perfusion, treatment of infection, intensive wound care, metabolic control, treatment of comorbidity, and instruction of the patient. Wound healing is slow. The impaired wound healing is probably caused by deficiencies in local growth factors, changes in the extracellular matrix, diminished fibroblast function, decreased antimicrobial activity of leukocytes and disturbances in the macro- and microcirculation. In recent years several new treatment strategies have been developed to stimulate wound healing in diabetic foot ulcers. These (partly experimental) treatments include: topical growth factors, extracellular matrix products, bioengineered human skin, granulocyte colony stimulating factor and hyperbaric oxygen therapy. In particular recombinant human platelet derived growth factor (becaplermin) has proved to be clinically effective in chronic neuropathic foot ulcer and has been approved in the Netherlands.